fregert-1 Reviews

Florida Man (2023)

Another hopeless mishmash

[3/10 · 1 June 2023]

This series could have been good, or at least entertaining. Maybe even exciting.

But it doesn't know whether to be action, crime, drama or comedy. So it juggles all these genres and fails to nail any of them satisfactory.

Some scenes are actually good - even really good - but mostly the writing and the acting are embarassingly inadequate. That's a shame, because it wouldn't have required much to lift this series to a higher level and a more enjoyable experience for the viewer.

It's getting really tiresome with all these hopeless mishmashes that are churned out alarmingly often. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

The Protector (2018–2020)

Not worth the time

[3/10 · 24 May 2023]

OK for a while, but completely lost it in season 4.

This series got my attention and grabbed my interest, which is why I watched it. The fact that it featured interesting locations and scenery was a big plus, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to "save" this series as a whole or make it deserve a higher rating.

I won't go into details about what bothered me, but I will say this: 4 seasons was too much, the acting was sometimes painfully bad, the script needed to be tighter.

Maybe the series stays true to the book it was based on, but I don't know because I haven't read it. And after watching this mess I will give the book a miss.

Marcella (2016–2021)

Really good, except for Season 3

[5/10 · 20 May 2021]

I really liked Seasons 1 and 2. They were a quite different take on the crime genre and also rather dark and disturbing.

So I looked forward to Season 3, but it was so disappointing that it affected my whole view of this series. I'll even go so far as to say that Season 3 was completely unnecessary.

If it had been just Seasons 1 and 2 I would have given "Marcella" a 7, possibly even an 8.

So by all means, watch the first two seasons but skip the third.

Stay Alive (2006)

Points for originality

[7/10 · 24 August 2006]

I love good horror movies. Even if I don't always get scared, I usually get entertained. This is important to know regarding this review. As long as clichés, stupidity and exaggerations are kept to a minimum, chances are I'll enjoy the horror movie in question. In the case of "Stay Alive", I didn't get particularly scared, but quite entertained. And it scored points for originality. The angle with a deadly video-/computer game felt fairly fresh to me. Also, clichés/stupidity/exaggerations WERE kept to a minimum, which was great. "Stay Alive" isn't even very bloody, the violence isn't jacked up to the max, and there's no nudity or sex scenes. People who expect/demand lots of blood, sex and violence in horror movies should probably avoid this one. This does not make "Stay Alive" a boring, Disney-version of a horror movie, it's just not a typical slash/sex-flick. The acting is surprisingly good, especially for such young actors in this type of movie, there are elements of truth in the plot (regarding The Countess) and efforts seem to have been made to keep "Stay Alive" from being another stereotypical horror movie that leaves few lasting impressions. If you want to see a horror movie with less blood, nudity and sex than usual, featuring good acting, a fresh angle and without the standard mindless script/plot, then "Stay Alive" might appeal to you. If not, choose another movie.

Hero (2002)

Beautiful but boring

[2/10 · 10 December 2005]

This is an obvious attempt to ride on the wave of success that followed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and to cash in on the interest for this type of movies. However, "Hero" has none of the qualities that made "Crouching Tiger..." such a fantastic, joyful masterpiece. Sure, there are tons of beauty - it seems that they consciously picked some of the most beautiful Asian actors around - and lots of action. The problem is that all the visual goodies and effects etc in "Hero" - however beautiful, stunning and impressive - has none of the substance, depth and relevance of "Crouching Tiger...". It's beautiful but boring. As for the story/plot in "Hero"... It's so thin that I can't even describe it without giving too much away. Just a poor excuse to make a rip-off of "Crouching Tiger...", which actually has a pretty good story/plot. The action scenes in "Hero" and the martial arts-techniques are also similar to those in "Crouching Tiger...", but in "Hero" they are just too mechanical, cold and "perfect". It's like comparing a supermodel to a stunning, warm, natural beauty. In this scenario, "Hero" is the supermodel. Furthermore, "Hero" lacks all the humor, wit, warmth and genuine emotion that "Crouching Tiger..." is full of. Yes, there are plenty of tears, heartbreak, sorrow and screaming in "Hero", but it's way too staged. Too much slow motion, close-ups, vacant/stiff facial expressions... like a piece of art that everyone is supposed to like because...why? Whatever. Because of all the work? The flawless technique? The perfection? The details? It's just not enough. No substance, no feeling, nothing genuine, nothing or no one to sympathize with. It doesn't work. All the slow motion sequences, close-ups and stills are probably meant to create a sense of sincerity or something, but it's just annoying. It all amounts to some kind of cinematographic pornography: a visual firework display with thought-out combinations for its own sake, to be impressive and breathtaking, but it doesn't mean anything. It's a hollow shell - a meaningless facade. "Hero" ain't got nothing on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Better than "Reloaded", but still a disappointment

[3/10 · 28 September 2005]

So here it is - the end of the trilogy, the final part of the Matrix-saga. And? Well, it's better than "Reloaded", but still a disappointment. Like "Reloaded", "Revolutions" has an overabundance of special effects, fighting scenes and action. There's plenty of lame one-liners, ridiculous pompous speeches, exaggerated situations, and actually quite bad acting. It feels like the directors put the actors/acting in the backseat so they could concentrate on blam-blam, kick-punch, fire-boom etc. Again, a big mistake. What makes "Revolutions" slightly better than "Reloaded" is that there is at least some kind of storyline going on, that isn't completely lost in fx etc. It progresses slowly, and is a lot weaker than in the first "Matrix", but at least there's a shred of effort here, probably just because they realized that they had to bring it all to an end. And that's what they do. Considering how strong "Matrix" was, and the material/storyline that was introduced there and that they had to base parts 2 & 3 on, they've done a lousy job continuing the tale. It could've been excellent all the way through, but isn't. Not by a long shot. I'm not gonna go into details about the story, poor acting and so on. If I did, this commentary would be a mile long. I'll just say this: You guys messed it up royally. Thanks a lot.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The sequel to a modern masterpiece

[2/10 · 27 September 2005]

I thought the first "Matrix"-movie was excellent and awaited parts 2 and 3 with great anticipation. And for what? "Matrix Reloaded" is completely pointless. It's probably supposed to be the bridge between parts 1 & 3, but come on. It's only an excuse to pack a 2,5 hour movie with special effects, fighting scenes and action. Did the team behind this time-waster have too much money and not enough ideas, perhaps? I absolutely think so. Not only that, but this joke of a sequel is extremely annoying and monotonous too. To quote the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, it's "just talking loud and saying nothing". It's a poor excuse for a movie, and those responsible should have known better, done better and tried harder. Shame on you.

Max Q (1998 TV Movie)

Unoriginal Space-flick

[2/10 · 5 September 2005]

This movie was pointless. I can't even call it sci-fi, since that requires more from a movie than merely taking place in space. "Max Q" isn't even set in space for the entire movie. The story/plot is unoriginal, the cast isn't anything to write home about, although it would be strange with a top cast in a mediocre film... Furthermore, it's not particularly exciting or well-told. At least it's evenly balanced in a low quality sort of way, in that nothing or no one stands out. Everything is equally bland. I usually find some quality in "space flicks", even if it's just 90 minutes of semi-lame entertainment bordering on low-budget pathetic, but "Max Q" didn't even give me that satisfaction. All in all , a complete waste of time.

The Cure (1995)

A Secret Gem

[10/10 · 24 August 2005]

I had never heard about this movie when it was given to me to translate, so I didn't know what to expect. I checked it out on IMDb and got curious. It didn't take long to realize that this was a gem. Outstanding performances, great story, and it's both well directed and well written. It's hard to compare it to other movies, but "Stand by me" comes to mind, although it has as many differences from "The cure" as similarities. The tale of an extraordinary friendship between young boys, plus the dramatic and humorous elements are the most obvious similarities between this movie and "Stand by me". Other than that, "The cure" is a fine movie in its own right, well worth a wider recognition. It's dramatic, but also adventurous, sad, but also humorous. I can't think of a single thing that bothers me about it. Having said that, I don't want to give the impression that it is a "perfect movie", whatever that means, but rather that I enjoyed it immensely, was very moved by it and wouldn't change a thing in it. I won't go into a detailed description of the story/plot, partly because it would be either too general or too revealing, and partly because you can find that information elsewhere on the site. In closing, I can only say: Wonderful movie, see it if you get the chance.

The Challenge (2003)

Only for hard-core fans of the Olsen twins.

[1/10 · 23 August 2005]

Every minute of this movie was sheer pain. I would never have watched it voluntarily, but as it happens, I had to translate it for Swedish TV. I'm not very familiar with the Olsen twins's previous work, but I have an idea of what it's generally about. The "twin card" seems to be played a lot. By this I mean that the plot always seems to involve different aspects/problems etc of being twins. "The Challenge" is not an exception. If you're interested in a more detailed commentary about the plot, look elsewhere. I don't intend to delve into that here. The reasons for my intense dislike of it are many. It's not "1-out-of-10-awful" like any other movie I've seen. This one disgusts me with its perkiness, politically correctness and morality. I guess it goes without saying that the story, acting, directing, script etc is disastrous. Enough said! In closing: stay away from it. It was a nightmare to translate (not because of linguistic difficulties...), it's torture to just watch it. And with that, I rest my case.